We'll get right to it: This week we ask you to help Wikipedia. To protect our independence, we'll never run ads. We survive on donations averaging about 100 kr. Only a tiny portion of our readers give.
Now is the time we ask. If everyone reading this right now gave
20 kr, our fundraiser would be done within an hour. That's right, the price of a cup of coffee is all we need.
Think about it, how much is access to Wikipedia worth to you? We're a small non-profit with costs of a top website: servers, staff and programs. We serve millions of readers, but we run on a fraction of what other top sites spend. Wikipedia is something special. It is like a library or a public park where we can all go to learn. Please give whatever you can to make the information on Wikipedia freely available to every single person on the planet. That’s our commitment. And we need your help. Thank you.

Kuwait is a constitutional emirate with an elected
parliamentary system. Kuwait has a petroleum-based economy. In recent years, the hostile relationship between the parliament and government has hindered the country's development.[14][15]
Kuwait is recognized as a high income economy
by the World Bank.[16]

In 1613, the town of Kuwait was founded in modern-day
Kuwait City. In 1716, the
Bani Utubs
settled in Kuwait. At the time of the arrival of the Utubs, Kuwait was inhabited by a few fishermen
and primarily functioned as a fishing village.[17]
In the eighteenth century, Kuwait prospered and rapidly became the principal commercial center for the transit of goods between India,
Muscat,
Baghdad
and Arabia.[18][19]
By the mid 1700s, Kuwait had already established itself as the major trading route from the Persian Gulf to Aleppo.[20]

During the Persian siege of Basra in 1775–1779, Iraqi merchants took refuge in Kuwait and were partly instrumental in the expansion of Kuwait's boat-building and trading activities.[21]
As a result, Kuwait's maritime commerce boomed.[21]
Between the years 1775 and 1779, the Indian trade routes with Baghdad, Aleppo, Smyrna
and Constantinople
were diverted to Kuwait.[20][22]
The East India Company
was diverted to Kuwait in 1792.[23]
The East India Company secured the sea routes between Kuwait, India
and the east coasts of Africa.[23]
After the Persians withdrew from Basra in 1779, Kuwait continued to attract trade away from Basra.[24]

Kuwait was the center of
boat building
in the Gulf region.[25][26]
During the late eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, ship vessels made in Kuwait carried the bulk of trade between the ports of India, East Africa and the Red Sea.[27][28][29]
Kuwaiti ship vessels were renowned throughout the Indian Ocean.[30]
Regional geopolitical turbulence helped foster economic prosperity
in Kuwait in the second half of the 18th century.[31]
Kuwait became prosperous due to Basra's instability in the late 18th century.[32]
In the late 18th century, Kuwait partly functioned as a haven for Basra's merchants fleeing Ottoman government
persecution.[33]
According to Palgrave, Kuwaitis developed a reputation as the best sailors in the Persian Gulf.[30][34][35]

During the reign of
Mubarak Al-Sabah, Kuwait was dubbed the "Marseilles
of the Gulf" because its economic vitality attracted a large variety of people.[36]
In the early 20th century, Kuwait immensely declined in regional economic importance,[9]
mainly due to many trade blockades and the world economic depression.[10]
Before Mary Bruins Allison
visited Kuwait in 1934, Kuwait lost its prominence in long distance trade.[9]
During World War I, the
British Empire
imposed a trade blockade against Kuwait because Kuwait's ruler
supported the Ottoman Empire.[11][12]
The British economic blockade heavily damaged Kuwait's economy.[12]

The
Great Depression
negatively impacted Kuwait's economy starting in the late 1920s.[13]
International trading was one of Kuwait's main sources of income before oil.[13]
Kuwaiti merchants were mostly intermediary merchants.[13]
As a result of European decline of demand for goods from India and Africa, the economy of Kuwait suffered. The decline in international trade resulted in an increase in gold smuggling by Kuwaiti ships to India.[13]
Some Kuwaiti merchant families became rich due to gold smuggling to India.[37]
Kuwait's pearling industry also collapsed as a result of the worldwide economic depression.[37]
At its height, Kuwait's pearling industry led the world's luxury market, regularly sending out between 750 and 800 ship vessels to meet the European elite's need for pearls.[37]
During the economic depression, luxuries like pearls were in little demand.[37]
The Japanese invention of cultured pearls
also contributed to the collapse of Kuwait's pearling industry.[37]

Following the
Kuwait–Najd War
of 1919–1920, Ibn Saud
imposed a trade blockade against Kuwait from the years 1923 until 1937.[10][13]
The goal of the Saudi economic and military attacks on Kuwait was to annex as much of Kuwait's territory as possible.[10]
At the Uqair conference
in 1922, the boundaries of Kuwait and Najd were set.[10]
Kuwait had no representative at the Uqair conference.[10]
Ibn Saud persuaded Sir Percy Cox
to give him two-thirds of Kuwait's territory.[10]
More than half of Kuwait was lost due to Uqair.[10]
After the Uqair conference, Kuwait was still subjected to a Saudi economic blockade and intermittent Saudi raiding.[10]

In 1937,
Freya Stark
wrote about the extent of poverty in Kuwait at the time:[13]

Poverty has settled in Kuwait more heavily since my last visit five years ago, both by sea, where the pearl trade continues to decline, and by land, where the blockade established by Saudi Arabia now harms the merchants.

Some merchant families left Kuwait in the early 1930s due to the prevalence of economic hardship. At the time of the discovery of oil in 1937, most of Kuwait's inhabitants were impoverished.

From 1946 to 1982, Kuwait experienced a period of prosperity driven by oil and its liberal atmosphere.[38][39][40]
In popular discourse, the years between 1946 and 1982 are referred to as the "Golden Era".[38][39][40][41]
In 1950, a major public-work programme began to enable Kuwaitis to enjoy a modern standard of living. By 1952, the country became the largest oil exporter in the Persian Gulf region. This massive growth attracted many foreign workers, especially from Palestine, Egypt and India. In June 1961, Kuwait became independent with the end of the British protectorate and the sheikh Abdullah Al-Salim Al-Sabah
became an Emir. Under the terms of the newly drafted constitution, Kuwait held its first
parliamentary elections in 1963. Kuwait was the first Gulf country to establish a constitution and parliament.

In the 1960s and 1970s, Kuwait was the most developed country in the Middle East.[42][43][44]
Kuwait was the pioneer in the Middle East in diversifying its earnings away from oil exports.[45]
The Kuwait Investment Authority
is the world's first sovereign wealth fund. From the 1970s onward, Kuwait scored highest of all Arab countries on the Human Development Index.[44]
Kuwait was the capital of higher education, arts and culture in the Gulf region.[44]Kuwait University, established in 1966, attracted students from neighboring countries.[44]
Local theatre thrived.[38][44][46]
Kuwait's theatre industry
was well-known throughout the Arab world.[38]

In the 1960s and 1970s, Kuwait's press was described as one of the
freest in the world.[46]
Kuwait was the pioneer in the literary renaissance in the Arab region.[47]
In 1958, Al Arabi
magazine was first published, the magazine went on to become the most popular magazine in the Arab world.[47]
Many Arab writers moved to Kuwait for freedom of expression
because Kuwait had greater freedom of expression than elsewhere in the Arab world.[48][49]
Kuwait was a haven for writers and journalists from all parts of the Middle East. The Iraqi poet Ahmed Matar
left Iraq in the 1970s to take refuge in the more liberal environment of Kuwait.[50]

During the
Iran-Iraq war, Kuwait supported Iraq. Throughout the 1980s, there were several terror attacks in Kuwait, including the
1983 Kuwait bombings, hijacking of
several Kuwait Airways planes
and attempted assassination of Emir Jaber in 1985. Kuwait was a regional hub of science and technology in the 1960s and 1970s up until the early 1980s,[56]
the scientific research sector significantly suffered due to the terror attacks.[56]

After the Iran-Iraq war ended, Kuwait declined an Iraqi request to forgive its US$65 billion debt.[57]
An economic rivalry between the two countries ensued after Kuwait increased its oil production by 40 percent.[58]
Tensions between the two countries increased further in July 1990, after Iraq complained to OPEC
claiming that Kuwait was stealing its oil from a field near the border by slant drilling
of the Rumaila field.[58]

In August 1990, Iraqi forces
invaded and annexed
Kuwait. After a series of failed diplomatic negotiations, the United States led a coalition to remove the Iraqi forces from Kuwait, in what became known as the Gulf War. On 26 February 1991, the coalition succeeded in driving out the Iraqi forces. As they retreated, Iraqi forces carried out a
scorched earth
policy by setting oil wells on fire.[59]
During the Iraqi occupation, more than 1,000 Kuwaiti civilians were killed.[60]
In addition, more than 600 Kuwaitis went missing
during Iraq's occupation,[61]
approximately 375 remains were found in mass graves in Iraq.

In March 2003, Kuwait became the springboard for the US-led
invasion of Iraq. Upon the death of the Emir Jaber, in January 2006,
Saad Al-Sabah
succeeded him but was removed nine days later by the Kuwaiti parliament due to his ailing health. Sabah Al-Sabah
was sworn in as Emir. In 2011–2012, there were protests. The parliament was dissolved in December 2011 due to protests against the parliament. The prime minister stepped down following protests.

The National Assembly consists of fifty elected members, who are chosen in elections held every four years. Government ministers are also granted membership in the parliament and can number up to sixteen excluding the fifty elected members. According to the Constitution of Kuwait, nomination of a new Emir or Crown Prince by the Al-Sabah family has to be approved by the National Assembly. Any amendment to the Constitution can be proposed by the Emir but it needs to be approved by more than two-thirds of the elected members of the National Assembly before being implemented.[62]

Human rights in Kuwait
has been the subject of criticism, particularly regarding migrant workers rights
and the Bedoon. 60% of Kuwait's population is Arab (including Arab expats), the remaining 40% consists of non-Arab expatriates, mainly
South Asian
migrant workers. The kafala system
leaves migrant workers prone to exploitation. Many human rights organizations have criticized Kuwait for failing to protect migrant workers from exploitation.

The
court system
in Kuwait is secular.[72][73]
Unlike other Gulf states, Kuwait does not have Sharia courts.[73]
Sections of the civil court system administer family law.[73]
Kuwait has the most secular commercial law
in the Gulf.[74]

Before the
Gulf War, Kuwait was the only "pro-Soviet" state in the Gulf.[75]
Kuwait acted as a conduit for the Soviets to the other Gulf states and Kuwait was used to demonstrate the benefits of a pro-Soviet stance.[75]
Between 1961 and 1991, Kuwait had an uneasy relationship with the United States
characterized by mistrust and hostility.[76]
In July 1987, Kuwait refused to allow U.S. military bases in its territory.[77][78]
As a result of the Gulf War, Kuwait currently hosts thousands of
US military personnel
and contractors within active U.S. facilities.

The
Military of Kuwait
traces its original roots to the Kuwaiti cavalrymen and infantrymen that used to protect Kuwait and its wall since the early 1900s. These cavalrymen and infantrymen formed the defense and security sources in metropolitan areas; charged with protecting outposts outside the wall of Kuwait.

Kuwait City
is located on Kuwait Bay, a natural deep-water harbor. 90% of Kuwait's population live within the Kuwait Bay coast. The country is generally low lying, with the highest point being 306 m (1,004 ft) above sea-level.[2]
It has nine islands, all of which, with the exception of
Failaka Island, are uninhabited.[79]
With an area of 860 km2
(330 sq mi), the Bubiyan
is the largest island in Kuwait and is connected to the rest of the country by a 2,380 m (7,808 ft) long bridge.[80]
The land area is considered arable[2]
and sparse vegetation is found along its 499 km long coastline.[2]

Kuwait's
Burgan field
having a total capacity of approximately 70 billion barrels (1.1×1010 m3) of proven oil reserves. During the 1991
Kuwaiti oil fires, more than 500 oil lakes were created covering a combined surface area of about 35.7 km2
(13.8 sq mi).[81]
The resulting soil contamination due to oil and soot accumulation had made eastern and south-eastern parts of Kuwait uninhabitable. Sand and oil residue had reduced large parts of the Kuwaiti desert to semi-asphalt surfaces.[82]
The oil spills during the Gulf War also drastically affected Kuwait's marine resources.[83]

The spring season in March is warm with occasional thunderstorms. The frequent winds from the northwest are cold in winter and hot in summer. Southeasterly damp winds spring up between July and October; hot and dry south winds prevail in spring and early summer. The shamal, a northwesterly wind common during June and July, causes dramatic sandstorms.[84]
The temperature in Kuwait during summer is above 25 (77 F). The highest recorded temperature was 54.4 (129.9 F) which is the highest temperature recorded in Asia.[85][86]

Kuwait has a
petroleum-based economy, petroleum and fertilizers are the main export products. The
Kuwaiti dinar
is the highest-valued currency unit in the world.[87]
Petroleum accounts for nearly half of GDP and 94% of export revenues and government income.[88]
The Kuwait Stock Exchange
is the second-largest stock exchange
in the Arab world.

Kuwait was the pioneer in the Middle East in
diversifying
its earnings away from oil exports.[45]
However the country has struggled to diversify its economy since the Gulf War. In recent years, the hostile relationship between the elected parliament and government has prevented the implementation of economic reforms.[89]

In the past five years, there has been a significant rise in
entrepreneurship
and small business start-ups in Kuwait.[90][91]
The informal sector
is also on the rise,[92]
mainly due to the popularity of Instagram businesses.[93][94][95]
Many Kuwaiti entrepreneurs are using the Instagram-based business model.[96]

International holdings

The
Kuwait Investment Authority
(KIA) is Kuwait's sovereign wealth fund
specializing in foreign investment. The KIA is the world's oldest sovereign wealth fund. Since 1953, the Kuwaiti government has directed investments into Europe, United States and Asia Pacific. As of 2014, the holdings were valued at $548 billion in assets.[97]

Kuwait is the Arab world's largest foreign investor, with $8.4 billion in
FDI outflows
in 2013.[98]
Kuwait consistently tops regional rankings in FDI outflows. In 2013, Kuwait almost tripled its foreign investments.[98]
Over the last 10 years, Kuwait has doubled investments in the UK
to more than $24 billion.[99][100]
In 2014, Kuwait became the largest foreign investor in China's
RMB
market.[101]

Kuwait was the pioneer in the Middle East in diversifying its earnings away from oil exports.[45]
However the country has struggled to diversify its economy since the Gulf War. In the 2000s, the hostile relationship between the elected parliament and government prevented the implementation of economic reforms.[88]

Since the
July 2013 election
of a less combative parliament, there has been significant progress in the development of key projects.[89][102]
Kuwait is currently the fastest-growing projects market in the Gulf region.[103]
A record $33.4bn-worth of contracts are expected to be awarded in 2014, only $8.7bn-worth contracts were awarded in 2013.[89]
According to MEED, the surge in activity is mainly due to good relations between the parliament and government.[89]
In December 2014, it was announced that 100% foreign ownership of a company is now permitted.[104]
The Kuwaiti government also approved foreign property ownership.[105]

Kuwait's non-oil economic growth reached the regional GCC average in 2013.[106]
There are signs that the non-oil economy is gaining momentum under the more pro-government parliament.[107]
Kuwait’s non-oil growth, which accelerated notably in 2013, is expected to maintain its momentum in the next two years.[108][109]

The majority of Kuwait's citizen population is Muslim; there are no official figures, but it is estimated that 60%–70% are
Sunni
and 30%–40% are Shias.[112]

In 2001, there were 525,000 Sunni Kuwaiti citizens, 300,000 Shia Kuwaiti citizens and 820,000 Kuwaiti citizens in total thus Sunnis formed 64% and Shias formed 36.5% of the Kuwaiti citizen population.[113]
In 2002, the US Department of State
reported that Shia Kuwaitis formed 30%–40% of Kuwait's citizen population,[114]
noting there were 525,000 Sunni Kuwaiti citizens and 855,000 Kuwaiti citizens in total (61% Sunnis, 39% Shias).[114]
In 2004, there were 600,000 Sunni Kuwaitis citizens, 300,000–350,000 Shia Kuwaiti citizens and 913,000 Kuwaiti citizens in total.[115]

Kuwait has a native
Christian
community, in 1999 there were 400 Christian Kuwaiti citizens.[116]
There were 256 Christian Kuwaiti citizens living in Kuwait in June 2013.[117]
There is also a small number of Bahá'í
Kuwaiti citizens,[118]
it is likely that 18 Kuwaiti citizens follow the Bahá'í religion.[117][note 1]
There are 400 Bahá'ís in total in Kuwait.[118]

Kuwait also has a large community of expatriate Christians (est. 450,000),
Hindus
(est. 600,000), Buddhists
(est. 100,000), and Sikhs
(est. 10,000).[118]

Within the Gulf Arab states, the culture of Kuwait is the closest to the culture of
Bahrain; this is evident in the close association between the two states in terms of accents, food, and clothes, in addition to the similar degrees of openness in the two societies.[119]

Kuwait is known for its home-grown tradition of
theatre.[120]
Kuwait is the only country in the Gulf with a theatrical tradition.[121]
The theatrical movement in Kuwait constitutes a major part of the country's cultural life.[122]
Theatrical activities in Kuwait began in the 1920s when the first spoken dramas were released.[123]
Theatre activities are still popular today.[122]

Kuwaiti soap operas (المسلسلات الكويتية) are the among the most-watched soap operas in the Arab world.[124]
Although usually performed in the Kuwaiti dialect, they have been shown as far away as Tunisia
with success.[125]

Kuwait was the pioneer of literary renaissance in the region.[126]
In 1958, Al Arabi
magazine was first published, the magazine went on to become the most popular magazine in the Arab world.[47]
In the 1970s, writers moved to Kuwait where they enjoyed greater freedom of expression than elsewhere in the Arab world.[48]

Kuwait has the oldest
modern arts
movement in the Arabian Peninsula.[127]
Beginning in 1936, Kuwait was the first Gulf country to grant scholarships in the arts.[127]
The Kuwaiti artist Mojeb al-Dousari
was the earliest recognized visual artist
in the Gulf region.[128]
He is regarded as the founder of portrait
art in the region.[129]
In 1943, al-Dousari launched Kuwait's first art gallery.

Jump up
^"Fitch Affirms Kuwait at 'AA'; Outlook Stable".
There are tentative signs that the non-oil economy is gaining momentum under a more pro-government parliament, reflected in the award of several projects in recent months and private sector credit growth at around a five-year high.

Jump up
^Kuwait: vanguard of the Gulf. p. 113.
Some Kuwaiti soap operas have become extremely popular and, although they are usually performed in the Kuwaiti dialect, they have been shown with success as far away as Tunisia.